GOP leaders claim overregulation contribute to devastating fires. Democrats point to climate change as a factor.

Republicans blamed “overregulation” for the deadly blazes. Democrats pointed to weather factors related to climate change.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson was adamant Friday that any wildfire aid for California will include conditions aimed at preventing future blazes — because, he said, “bad policy choices” hurt prevention efforts.

Wisconsin GOP Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, who chairs the subcommittee, alleges that California failed to adequately manage lands burned in the recent Palisades and Eaton fires. It’s a claim California leaders deny. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports the fires consumed more than 37,000 acres, including thousands of homes.

Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman argues that California wildfires result from poor land management and restrictive policies, not climate change. She criticizes the 2001 Roadless Rule for limiting forest management,

House Republicans blasted California’s environmental regulations as helping fuel the Los Angeles County wildfires, often using politically charged and sometimes misleading claims, as Congress on Thursday convened its first hearing on last month's deadly firestorms.